2003 Wamena incident
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The 2003 Wamena incident (Indonesian: Peristiwa Wamena 2003) involved a sweeping operation and forced relocation of civilians around the town of Wamena by the Indonesian Army and the Indonesian National Police following a raid on an armory. The operations lasted for around two months following the raid, displacing thousands of civilians and resulting in the deaths of around fifty civilians from various causes.
| Wamena Incident | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Papua conflict | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Indonesia |
 Free Papua Movement[a] | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
2 dead 1 heavily injured[1] | Unknown | ||||
|
51 civilians killed[b] 38 heavily injured[1] | |||||
Incidents
The raid occurred on 4 April 2003 at around 1 AM,[2] launched by an unidentified mob, against the armory of the Wamena District of the Indonesian Army.[1] In the raid itself, 29 rifles were stolen by Papuan rebels alongside 3,500 rounds of ammunition.[1][3][4] During the raid, two Indonesian soldiers were killed and one was heavily injured.[1]
Between April and June 2003, sweeping operations were launched around Wamena, affecting 25 villages.[1][3] The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) estimated that nine civilians were killed and 38 were heavily injured.[1] Torture and destruction of property and public facilities were also reported.[1][5] Around 7,000 villagers were forcefully displaced, and 42 died due to starvation during this period.[1] Reports characterized the operations as not discriminating locals and those involved in the rebel movement.[6]
Aftermath
Investigations of the human rights violations during the incident was launched by Komnas HAM following approval by then-president Megawati Sukarnoputri.[3] However, as of 2019, the violations have not went to court.[7] The events have been referred to as Tragedi Wamena Berdarah (Bloody Wamena Tragedy).[8]
Five men arrested and imprisoned for their alleged involvement in the 2003 raid were given clemency by Indonesian President Widodo during one of his visits to Papua in May 2015.[9]